Should your business sell products online?

Who is shopping online, when and what for?
This review of shopping trends this holiday season will help you decide whether
e-commerce is the way to go for your business.

Chances are if you are a soloist who sells product you are using
or have considered using the Internet to sell online. Whether you have your own
website or sell through online auction sites such as eBay, the holiday season is
likely to have brought the issue front of mind.

The largest percentage of online sales occurs from late October to
late December each year. Trends suggest more and more people are shopping online
to save time and avoid the rushed crowds at major shopping centres.

Setting up an e-commerce shopping cart site raises questions about
security, the costs and whether you will be able to reach your target market and
sell large volumes online.

Top 10 retail websites visited by Australians

1. www.amazon.com
   
2. www.dealsdirect.com.au
   
3. www.express.ebay.com
   
4. www.amazon.co.uk
   
5. www.oo.com.au
   
6. www.kmart.com.au
   
7. www.target.com.au
   
8. www.petersofkensington.com.au
   
9. www.bigw.com.au
   
10. www.shoppingsquare.com.au

Source: Hitwise Australia,
November 2007

Online Shopping Demographic
Australian internet users
have proven they are more than willing to shop online with a steady increase in
online shopping over the past five years.

Some 87% of Australian internet users have made a purchase over
the internet (ahead of the global average of 77%). As a result, the e-tailing
industry has grown to a $14 billion industry this year.

What are people buying?
The largest proportion of online
sales are in travel and accommodation with other popular items being books,
music, clothes and computer software and hardware.

18 to 24 year olds are more likely to shop for entertainment such as music
and computer games while 35 to 44 year olds are more budget conscious and visit
price-comparison websites or sites such as Shopping.com.au, www.oo.com.au, FlyBuys and Myshopping.com.au.

What sorts of products can be sold online?
Products
suited to e-commerce include: software; printed or graphic material (e.g.
classified ads, digital books); services not requiring human interaction (e.g.
airline tickets); specialty niche goods (e.g. memorabilia); products for which
the order processing costs are high (e.g. loan applications); and seasonal
products (e.g. swimming pool shops).

Products not suited to e-commerce include: goods with a short
shelf life (e.g. ice cream, bread or hamburgers); goods or services that require
you to be at a particular location (e.g. petrol); and when transportation is
difficult or costly (e.g. live animals, washing machines).

Recent fast mover
One of the top 4 fastest movers in
online retail sites is www.crazysales.com.au which has had a big increase in Australian
visits to the site over the 4 week period ending November 3, 2007. [Source:
Hitwise]

An e-commerce website can reach potential customers outside your
geographic area, make searching and cataloguing a large number of products easy
and allow you to accept secure payments online.

Melissa Norfolk is an Internet expert who speaks to business,
school and community groups about online marketing, email newsletters, effective
use of the Internet, finding what you need online and Internet safety. This
article first appeared on www.flyingsolo.com.au, Australia's online community for solo
business owners

It's been a banner year for tech—so much so that I've had a hard
time whittling down my list of favorite gadgets to a mere 10. From a
touch-screen phone that you've probably heard of to the latest stab at an e-book
reader, I present to you (in alphabetical order) the top 10 gadgets of the year.

Amazon
Kindle: It's pricey at $399, and with its so-so screen and
uninspiring design, the Kindle probably won't spell the end for your
garden-variety paper book anytime soon. That said, fellow blogger Christopher
Null called the light, easy-to-read, and 3G-equipped Kindle a potentially
"game-changing device" that gives the sleepy e-book market a swift, much-needed
kick in the pants.

Apple
iPhone: In his initial
review, Null dismissed the iPhone as a "nifty little gadget" that's "filled
with flaws," and I agree with many of his criticisms. (No 3G! No games! Can't
replace the battery!) That said, I'd be lying if I didn't call the iPhone—with
its intuitive (nay, fun!) touch-screen interface, top-of-the-heap mobile Web
browser, and unmatched integration of music and video in a handset—one of the
most exciting
gadgets I've ever seen.

Asus
Eee: Try this on for size: a two-pound, paperback-sized laptop that
runs Linux like a dream. The hard-to-please Null gave the Asus Eee (which comes
loaded with a 900MHz Celeron CPU, Wi-Fi, and a 4GB solid-state hard drive) a
test-drive last month and called it "downright exciting." Even more impressive?
The $499 price tag.

Ibiza
Rhapsody: There's been a lot of buzz about Wi-Fi MP3 players this
year, what with the new iPod Touch and the updated Zunes, but here's a no-name
player that beats both those heavyweights at the wireless game. The Ibiza
Rhapsody syncs with your Rhapsody music account over Wi-F, finds and updates
your podcasts, plays MPEG-4, WMV, and H.264 video files, and even surfs the
web—no PC syncing required.

Intel
Classmate PC: Love it or hate it, we live in a Windows world, and
Intel's Classmate PC is the only "One Laptop Per Child" device to run XP.
Writing for Wired, Christopher Null reports that the "ultra-small keyboard"
won't do for grown-ups, but the laptop's rugged case, cute looks, and snappy
performance will make the grade in classrooms. And at $300, the price is
right.

Nokia
N95: No, it doesn't have a touch screen, but the N95 is one of the
most feature-packed phones I've ever tested, including Wi-Fi, 3G support (new
for the United States), GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, quad-band GSM support for
world calling, a top-notch web browser (second only to the iPhone's), an Office
document reader, and a music player with support for subscription music services
such as Rhapsody. Unfortunately, at $750, the N95 won't be making any "Top 10
bargains" lists this year.

Pioneer
"Kuro" Plasma HDTVs: Grayish-looking black levels are the
collective Achilles' heel of flat-panel HDTVs, but here's a set that isn't
afraid of the dark. Available in 720p and 1080p versions (depending on the size
and model), Pioneer's line of Kuro sets blew me away with its deep, dark black
levels—now this is what "Blade Runner" is supposed to look like.

Shure
SE530 earphones: First things first: At $450, the SE530s are among
the priciest earbuds you'll ever find. But when I crammed these babies (which
come complete with a trio of "microspeakers" for each 'bud) into my ears... how
shall I put this? Aural nirvana. Now all you have to do is talk yourself out of
450 big ones.

TiVo
HD: The best of the set-top DVRs made the leap to HD in late 2006,
but the $800 price tag for the new Series3 box was a bitter pill. Luckily, the
$300 TiVo HD arrived in August. In the meantime, TiVo's been busy adding support
for Amazon Unbox video downloads, the Rhapsody music service, and Picasa photo
libraries.

Vudu:
It's not the perfect TV set-top box—it lacks a subscription model, it's too
expensive at $400, and video quality is shy of DVD levels (although it just
launched its first HD movies), But with its peer-to-peer method of delivering a
library of 5,000 movies (and now TV shows) instantly, Vudu is the closest thing
I've seen to Netflix-in-a-box.

And there you have it. Jumping out of your chair with cries of "But he forgot
the (fill in the blank)," or "How could you like the (insert hated
gadget here)?" Sure you are. Fire away!

Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs

 

Whether you're asking a potential employer for more money or your current boss for a raise, talking about money is awkward, especially when you are searching for the best way to phrase your request.

"Money is very tightly tied to our self-esteem," says Meryl Runion, author of "PowerPhrases." Asking for more money means saying you think you're worth more -- and risking hearing that someone else disagrees. "If somebody tells you, 'No, I don't think you are worth that much,' it's almost like saying you're not that valuable as a person."

A little practice can help you find the right words to make these requests -- and respond to the answer you get. Runion and other experts offer the following tips for two common scenarios.

Scenario 1: Getting a Raise

* Asking your current boss for a raise: The key is to ask in a way that shows you've done your research. Try saying, "I've been evaluating my own performance and what you've told me about my performance, and I would like to talk with you about increasing my salary," suggests Marcia Stein, a human resources consultant who recently published a book about recruiting.

This approach alerts your boss that you have analyzed your contributions and are not simply asking for a raise because you want more money. And by asking for a time to talk, rather than simply stating the raise you want, you give your boss time to prepare.

* If the boss says no: Despite your preparation, it may turn out that your boss isn't able or willing to pay you more. Try to find out the reason -- is there a companywide freeze on raises, or does your boss not agree that you deserve more? Stein suggests showing your interest in improving your performance by saying, "What would you recommend that I do so I can be one of the top performers on your team?"

Scenario 2: Negotiating a Higher Salary

* Negotiating a higher salary with a new employer: If you're offered a job but were hoping for more money, the key is to make the request in a positive way, says Lori Itani, an independent staffing consultant who focuses on high-tech companies and hears candidates' responses to offers. "If they're telling me that they really like the company, they really like the position, the manager and the team, and they'd really like to have this work, that's a good thing to say."

Itani suggests a way to phrase the request: "I'd really like to come on board, but I need some more help with relocation." If your goal is a higher starting salary, finish the sentence with, "but I need a little more in salary to justify the move from my current company to yours."

* If the employer says no: Even when you ask politely, it may turn out that the employer isn't willing to increase the offer. In that case, assuming you still want the job, your goal is to find out the possibilities for future raises -- while emphasizing that you intend to work hard. Runion suggests saying, "If I can prove my value, what are the possibilities for future raises?"

Written by Margaret Steen for Yahoo!  HotJobs and Quoted from: http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-the_right_words_how_to_ask_for_more_money-233

Stars like Matt Damon, Oprah Winfrey, and Rosie O'Donnell are just a few of the public figures whose actions in 2007 -- good or bad -- offer career lessons for us all.

Whether it was bravely stepping out on "Dancing With the Stars" or getting fired for romancing a subordinate, understanding the six do's and don'ts below can help you move your career forward next year.

DO leverage your strengths. Matt Damon has long been known as a widely talented actor. This year, he built on the strength of his previous two "Bourne" films with his performance in the hugely successful "Bourne Ultimatum," bolstering his status as one of the most successful action-film stars in Hollywood.

"Finding out what you are good at and then working to get better at is a much more efficient use of your time and energy than trying to become a star in an area where you may not have much talent to begin with," says Richard Phillips, founder of Advantage Career Solutions.

DON'T use inappropriate language at work. Radio host Don Imus was fired from his longtime job for racially inflammatory language about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

"In general, steer clear of topics involving sex, drugs, race, and politics. Even if you think a comment is perfectly innocuous, someone else may very well see it differently," says Alexandra Levit, author of "They Don't Teach Corporate in College." "Once people perceive you as crass, sexist, or prejudiced, no amount of hard work in the world will restore your reputation in that organization."

DO acknowledge mistakes and take action to learn from them. After an abuse scandal surfaced at Oprah Winfrey's school for girls in South Africa, the talk-show host accepted responsibility for "inadequate" employee screening. She also traveled to the school to meet with parents and address their concerns.

Andrea Nierenberg, author of "Million Dollar Networking," says, "It takes a strong person to say, 'I was wrong,' and then to take the action to correct the problem. People respect you more and know that we all make mistakes -- yet it is an admirable person who goes the extra mile to quickly correct the mistake and take another action step."

DON'T get personally involved with a subordinate. The Red Cross ousted married CEO Mark Everson for having a personal relationship with one of his employees. The organization said the relationship showed "poor judgment" and damaged his credibility.

"Besides showing poor judgment, it is also unfair to the subordinate, whose career will likely be negatively impacted," says Phillips.

DO step outside your comfort zone. Racecar driver Helio Castroneves took a risk to learn ballroom dancing and perform on TV's "Dancing With the Stars." He backed it up with hard work and won the contest, opening up his career to new possibilities.

"Living in your safety zone year after year can make you stagnant and, well, boring," says Debra Davenport, a master professional mentor and career counselor. "If you're risk-averse, try conquering smaller challenges. Then, expand your horizons as you grow more comfortable. Who knows? You might even start your own business or embark on an entirely new and wonderful career!"

DON'T badmouth people who might be good references. Rosie O'Donnell's embattled tenure on "The View" ended prematurely this year, as her clashes with cohosts Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Barbara Walters were played out in the media.

"Rosie O'Donnell is your typical example of a workplace hothead -- someone who says exactly what they're thinking when they're thinking it regardless of the consequences," says Levit. "If you can't be diplomatic and communicate in a manner that shows that you respect others' points of view, colleagues won't want you around no matter how talented you are. 'The View' continues to offer examples (see last year's Star Jones mention) of how burning your bridges is never a good idea."

Article Written by Tom Musbach, Yahoo! HotJobs and Quoted from: http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-career_do_s_and_don_ts_from_2007-255